Jakarta, Aug. 12 -- Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture has partnered with Surabaya State University (Unesa) to expand soybean seed production across 56 hectares of land to reduce Indonesia's reliance on soybean imports.

The partnership was formalised through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two parties at the Unesa Campus in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday.

The Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the move directly links university research capabilities with agricultural production.

"Unesa has 56 hectares of land and we are providing free seeds and agricultural machinery, including four-wheel tractors," Sulaiman said after the signing.

According to a statement, he emphasised the Ministry forme...